Canada's Crime Stats. Who's Accountable?
Crime rates, clearance rates, and trends by province — sourced from Statistics Canada's Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (2022). See the numbers, understand who's responsible, and rate the public officials running Canada's justice and public safety system.
Crime Severity Index
85.8
CSI (2006 baseline = 100)
Clearance rate (all crimes)
44%
crimes that result in a charge
Violent crime rate
1,228
incidents per 100,000 population
Homicide rate
2.3
per 100,000 — police-reported
Property crime clearance
22%
most theft goes unsolved
Violent crime clearance
72%
assaults, robbery, homicide
CSI change vs. prior year
+5.5%
crime severity rising
Total criminal code
2.0M
police-reported incidents
Only 22% of property crimes are solved.
Theft under $5,000 has a 15% clearance rate — meaning for every 100 thefts reported, 85 result in no charge. These numbers reflect directly on the officials managing policing resources and prosecution priorities.
Provincial Breakdown
Compare crime severity, clearance rates, and trends across provinces. CSI above 100 means crime is more severe than the 2006 national baseline.
| Province | CSI | Clearance Rate | Violent / 100k | Homicide / 100k | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saskatchewan | 155 | 38% | 2,150 | 4.6 | Rising |
| Manitoba | 128 | 41% | 1,890 | 4.1 | Stable |
| British Columbia | 101 | 35% | 1,420 | 2.8 | Rising |
| Alberta | 98 | 44% | 1,340 | 2.6 | Stable |
| Nova Scotia | 83 | 43% | 1,180 | 2.1 | Stable |
| New Brunswick | 82 | 47% | 1,090 | 1.8 | Falling |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | 76 | 48% | 1,010 | 1.4 | Falling |
| Ontario | 66 | 52% | 880 | 1.9 | Falling |
| Quebec | 59 | 55% | 790 | 1.6 | Falling |
| Prince Edward Island | 52 | 60% | 680 | 0.7 | Falling |
Most Common Offences — Clearance Rates
Theft under $5,000
1,840 per 100k population
15%
solved
Mischief
620 per 100k population
19%
solved
Assault (level 1)
570 per 100k population
80%
solved
Break and enter
380 per 100k population
14%
solved
Fraud
340 per 100k population
29%
solved
Drug offences
280 per 100k population
91%
solved
Robbery
90 per 100k population
44%
solved
Sexual assault
84 per 100k population
50%
solved
Homicide
2.3 per 100k population
82%
solved
Who Is Responsible?
Crime rates and clearance rates are not random — they are the direct result of policy decisions, resource allocation, and leadership choices made by identifiable public officials at all three levels of government.
Public Safety Canada
Oversees: RCMP, CBSA, CSIS, Correctional Service Canada, National Parole Board
- →RCMP clearance rates have declined 11 points since 2010
- →Federal corrections recidivism rate sits at 35% within 2 years of release
- →CBSA accountability gap — no independent civilian oversight until 2022
- →Organized crime and cybercrime response capacity consistently underfunded
Provincial Solicitors General / Attorneys General
Oversees: Provincial police services, Crown prosecution, Provincial corrections, Victim services
- →Property crime clearance rates as low as 14% in some provinces — most theft goes unsolved
- →Rural and Indigenous communities chronically under-policed
- →Mental health and addictions calls consuming 30–40% of police time with no specialized response
- →Court backlogs mean serious cases regularly stayed or dismissed (Jordan ruling)
Police Boards / City Councils
Oversees: Municipal police services, By-law enforcement, Emergency services coordination
- →Police board composition and independence varies widely across cities
- →Use-of-force policies and complaint processes lack consistent national standards
- →Repeat offender management often falls between federal, provincial, and municipal jurisdictions
Related Data
Sources
• Statistics Canada — Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR), 2022
• Statistics Canada — Homicide Survey, 2022
• Statistics Canada — Table 35-10-0026-01 — Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates
• Statistics Canada — Table 35-10-0177-01 — Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations
• Public Safety Canada — 2023 Annual Report on the State of Organized Crime